Whole Foods recalls possibly contaminated cheese

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food's website said Whole Foods Markets in Trolley Square and in Cottonwood Heights were involved in the recall.

Crave Brothers voluntarily recalled the Les Frères, Petit Frères and Petit Frères with Truffles cheese produced in Wisconsin. Any cheese with the date of July 1 or earlier should be thrown away or taken back to the store for a refund.

Libba Letton, spokeswoman for Whole Foods Market, said the company also sold the Les Frères cheese cut and individually wrapped in clear plastic with the Whole Foods Market labels.

If contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the cheese can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with a weakened immune system, according to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

The department also says healthy people who eat cheese contaminated with Listeria may experience a high fever, a severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. It can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Richard Clark, director of the Division of Regulatory Services, said the cheese was removed from Whole Foods shelves in Utah, but it's not known how much of the cheese came here.

"I would say definitely some has been consumed here in the state," Clark said.

One death and one illness have been reported in connection with the nationwide bacterial contamination, according to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. Letton said neither case has been linked to Whole Foods Market.

George Crave, president of Crave Brothers, said the investigation is ongoing and the company wants to make sure people who have purchased the cheese dispose of it.